Preferred bullet weight for USPSA?

[ncjustin]

I'm getting ready to get into USPSA.  I've only been reloading for 6 months now and have only loaded Bayou 147's.  I've seen people shooting 124's, 147's and everything in between.  What's everyone's personal preference to load for quick/fast shooting?

[thormx538]

I like 147s.

 

Blue Bullets has a 135 also which is a nice compromise between 124s and 147s.

[TennJeep1618]

I can tell a slight difference between 124/125 and 147, but not enough to make a difference at my skill level.  I shoot 125's because I got a great deal on 10K of them.  Once those start to run out, I'll probably keep shooting that weight.

[NicVerAZ]

I use the 135gr RN from Bayou. With 3.3gr of TG and OAL or 1.120

Very accurate out of my X-Calibur.

[SCTaylor]

whatever is cheaper and available. It really doesn't matter that much.

[jeffroberdo]

I just made the switch from 124/5 to 147 and am not impressed. Accuracy is a tad better but not worth the expense. Bayou makes a great bullet so experiment and test. I may try the 135's everyone is talking about but so far 124/5 is what i am gonna shoot. 

[Sarge]

124/125

[zipollini]

Take a look at this

http://www.doublealpha.biz/uspsa-gear-report?utm_source=DAA+Live+Site+Customer+DB&utm_campaign=39f58d68f6-Mark_7_machines_and_accessories10_21_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d35278cb58-39f58d68f6-107941489

124g for open and 180g for limited

[Beef15]

Love my 155s. Gun hardly moves. Lighter recoil spring so action isn't too sluggish.
I shot coated 147s when I bought bullets.
124s are ok, but I think I get more flip. Maybe its all in my head, never verified with my timer.
All at minor PF.

[Yeti]

In 9?

ACME or Bayou 124.  SNS or BBI 125's.  Any of these that are available for the best price delivered.

[uewpew]

I like 124gr

[MemphisMechanic]

It doesn't matter. Pick a bullet weight your gun shoots the best groups with, and shoot it until you're used to it. Matches are won with 124 or 147s, back and forth, all the time.

124 guys say the 147 feels sluggish.

147 guys say the 124 feels slightly snappier and they like the marshmallow recoil.

 

I shoot 135s... because I can. They feel fine and my guns like them.

[kingsanchez]

Shoot what your gun likes.

My CZ performs best with 124gr

My P320 favors 135gr

[Batmo]

The Op asked about the "Preferred bullet weight for USPSA".  According to the  Front Sight  magazine....."The Official Journal of the United States Practical Shooting Association / IPSC".......47 % choose 160 grain bullets at the 2016 Revolver Nationals. 32% were shooting 9mm....23% shot short colts and 19% shot 38 specials.

kingsanchez is correct in saying "Shoot what your gun likes".

[jschweg]

After reloading 125s for a long time and trying some 147s as of late, I can honestly say I prefer the 147s. To me there is a fairly significant difference in recoil, it seems to me that the muzzle flips much less allowing me to get back on target faster.

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[GARD72977]

If you grip the piss out of the gun go 125-130gr. The recoil impulse gets finished sooner so you can get back on target faster.

 

If you are a limp grip shooter the 147gr is for you.

To me 147gr feel like a half full gallon of water slushing around. I shot faster with 125gr. I have shot 115gr and really could not tell the difference. I'm cheap so lead in the 125-130gr  work best for me

Edited November 24, 2016 by GARD72977

[ngodwetrust21]

147 Blue Bullets. Buy 3k of them at a time and you get free shipping. Cheap!

[Smitty79]

7 minutes ago, ngodwetrust21 said:

147 Blue Bullets. Buy 3k of them at a time and you get free shipping. Cheap!

Buy >10k of the medium shipping box and get free shipping plus 10% off.

[ngodwetrust21]

7 minutes ago, Smitty79 said:

Buy >10k of the medium shipping box and get free shipping plus 10% off.

^ This!

Thanks for the info BTW. Should have looked at their website a bit further.

[PaladinPrecision]

After some testing in different guns I would say it depends. Some guns/ barrel twists like 147s, others like 124's in terms of accuracy. The accuracy difference seems to be related to barrel twist, faster barrel twists seem to like the heavier bullets. The "feel" of the 147 is a little softer, even to where it might be called sluggish. That is why the 135's came out. If you can't tell the accuracy difference, I would say just get 124/125 and order as much as you can and just go shoot, dry fire and take a class/ dvd to improve your skills.

Edited December 3, 2016 by PaladinPrecision

[lorenzobishop040]

I like 125 gr. Buy some of both and see what your gun likes

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[IDescribe]

124/125 seem a little more cooperative with accuracy, a little easier to find the sweet spot, and all the stuff we chase with recoil with heavier bullets, all the stuff that during load development where we are looking for feel and we ooh and ahh and "Wow, this is much softer..." all that stuff disappears when the buzzer goes off.   Faster splits is a matter of grip and stance, not felt recoil.  If you can recognize that, it's hard to argue that a heavier bullet that moves the slide slower and returns the pistol to battery later is somehow faster.

You can train your body to deal well with whatever weight, so why not go with the less expensive, easier to deal with 124/125gr option?  

[johnbu]

Buy 500 rnds of 124, 135 and 147.  develop loads, test for accuracy, test for speed (bill drill, splits on far tgts, etc), work it all out in a spreadsheet. Then buy  what runs the best out of your gun.

[Zmaniac]

I did not find much difference in recoil loading 124gr vs 147gr. to similar power factors (mass x veloc).  I'm shooting minor, goal around 130-135 PF to stay above threshold in winter.  When I calculate the actual muzzle energy, which should reflect recoil truer than power factor ( 1/2 M x Vsquared vs M x V), there is also not a significant difference between those either.

Muzzle energy calculated for 124gr at 1025 fps = 289 ft-lb.  using 3.7 TG
For 147gr at 915 fps = 273 ft-lbs, using 3.3 TG.  Note difference of 16 ft-lbs, not much difference in felt recoil either.  Both jacketed Precision Delta.   

I switched back and forth with a mags of one vs the other both hands, single hand and could not really tell between them.   Would've thought the lower powder would clearly be lighter.

Question, what is a better way to evaluate  the actual recoil differences?  I was watching "Sheriff of Baghdad" on TV using slow-motion camera, which looked intriguing.  At least, seems like a good excuse to get a newer iPhone.  What to watch for?

[IDescribe]

 

53 minutes ago, Zmaniac said:

 

Question, what is a better way to evaluate  the actual recoil differences? 

 

  
There are no score bonuses for soft recoil, so if your goal is to improve your scores, the only relevant way to evaluate recoil is with a shot timer.